Eating healthfully: a ramble

[cjsmith]

I eat a staggering amount of Various Things Bad For Me. (Also: I am still not exercising and my feet still hurt. Hey, maybe that's why I'm staggering!) I should note that this is not truly heinous. If I had to stack myself up against all the shoulds in the nutrition world, I might get a grade of something like C+. Still, when I write it all down for a while, that forces a modicum of honesty.

Y'know what's so hard for me about making better eating choices? It's not just one decision. (Well, there's usually one "big" decision, a resolution of some kind. But also --) It's a huge, long, unending, overwhelming list of LITTLE decisions.

F'rex. It's 11:30. My stomach's rumbly. Lunch is in an hour or less. Do I need a snack at such a moment? If so, what will I choose? If I eat a snack, will I eat the same lunch I would otherwise have had?

Let's take a little tour of my office. Over here is the tea, and a mug I love. No, I didn't bring any food in, so let's walk down the hall. What does the break room look like? Ah, a cornucopia of sweet and fatty bounty! Potato chips, Reese's peanut butter cups, Starbursts, Luna and Clif bars, M&Ms, fruit if it's Monday, bagels and cream cheese if it's Tuesday.

When I wander into the kitchen here at work, the chocolate caaaaallllls me. Mmm, CJ, it says in its silky-smooth little chocolatey voice. I would taste sooooo good. Wouldn't I? And then my Amateur Psychologist brain gets into the act. Is this about entitlement, CJ? it asks me. You've been working yourself awfully hard. Don't you deserve a treat? Its cheerful, upbeat contralto is hard to resist. The fruit, if present, is silent. Silly! Fruit can't talk!

If I snag a Reese's, the next voice I hear will be my Amateur Doctor brain. Aren't you descended from Type II diabetics on both sides of the family? You PASS OUT around needles, remember? Do you think that would be some kind of fun adventure? You can't opt back out of that one, you know. The devious Amateur Psychologist agrees: I'm sure you know better ways to take care of yourself. What stops you from doing them? (I think the Amateur Psychologist's name is Janice. Janus? Um, moving along.)

Funny, it's not even Reese's that I want. I want deep delicious dark chocolate. (See, less sugar!) And tea. And a vacation -- a few days where Reese's, or any decisions made when tired and hungry, don't count. And different genes. *sigh*.

Comments

[katestine.livejournal.com]

I have a lot of thoughts that have been boiling in my head, plus a post of my own on a related topic. I am not a nutritionist, but here are a few thoughts:

- Clif/Luna bars are primarily for people who need energy in a compressed package, like marathoners, hikers, climbers, etc. In other words, they are a terrible idea for office workers. Yes, they are more satiating than a Snickers bar, with less fat, but you can do better.

- Maybe it's time to stock some of your own snacks in your desk? Maybe if you stocked your own too-good-to-share-with-coworkers dark chocolate, you'd have one little piece and decide that's enough to slake that craving? I find that with extremely dark chocolate, I can't eat much more than a small nibble at a time.

- As it gets colder, I find I need more protein to be satiated. Have you tried increasing the amount of lean protein you consume?

- I think the greatest mid-afternoon snack ever is the snack packages of tuna fish: it has the same number of calories as a candy bar or bag of chips but is much more satisfying. They're not cheap, but neither is good health.

HTH.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Agreed about the Clif bars being a bad idea. My problem isn't knowing what's a poor choice, my problem is doing the right thing. (It's not a huge problem. I'm basically healthy. But it's something I notice and therefore ramble about.) Stocking my own snacks would be a good start.

They're not cheap, but neither is good health.

And BAD health can be very expensive! Reminds me of that "if you think education is expensive, try ignorance" quote. :-)